BREAKING NEWS

Fla. finances expected to remain in good shape

TALLAHASSEE - Florida economists are projecting that the state's economy will continue to remain in good shape over the next few years.

State economists are meeting Thursday to predict how much the state is expected to collect in taxes.

Gov. Rick Scott and legislative leaders rely on these forecasts to determine whether the state has a budget surplus.

Preliminary forecasts show that the state's main budget account could grow nearly 4 percent during the fiscal year that started in July. The preliminary estimates show a roughly 4 percent growth in the fiscal year that starts in July 2015.

That's a slight dip from March forecasts. One big reason is there has been a drop in corporate income taxes.